


A New World

by through_shadows_falling



Series: Supernatural Ficlets [44]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Best Friends, Bullying, First Meetings, Gryffindor Castiel, Hufflepuff Dean, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-06
Updated: 2015-12-06
Packaged: 2018-05-05 07:11:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5366033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/through_shadows_falling/pseuds/through_shadows_falling
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hogwarts was way bigger than Dean expected. </p><p>Then again, he’d only just found out he was a wizard, so as much as he’d tried to catch up on details of the magical world, he was still hopelessly behind.</p><p>And now hopelessly lost.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A New World

Hogwarts was way bigger than Dean expected. 

Then again, he’d only just found out he was a wizard, so as much as he’d tried to catch up on details of the magical world, he was still hopelessly behind.

And hopelessly lost. He wished his textbooks had a map or something, because he swore the castle  _changed_  just to mess with him.

Dean hitched his books in his arms and bit his lip. 

He could do this. All he needed to do was find his way back to the Hufflepuff dormitory. 

He’d made it to class, so that was good. He refused to get bad marks, not when Dad already hated the idea that he and Sammy could do magic. It was a trait their mother had given them, but she’d died when he was a child, so Dean hadn’t known about it until he received his Hogwarts letter a few months ago. 

As surprised as he’d been, it made sense, though. No matter what Dad did, the second he passed Sammy to Dean, the kid would stop crying. And once, one of their toys came to life after Dean touched it. Sammy had laughed for the first time in ages, and Dean remembered smiling big and wide even as he wondered how it was all possible. Now he knew: it was because he was a wizard.

A cold stone sank into Dean’s gut as he recalled his brother’s wide, toothy grin. 

He couldn’t think about Sammy right now, or he’d miss him too much. He’d miss their tiny home, their peace and quiet out in the countryside, their little world that revolved only around the three of them and no one else. Hogwarts was great, it really was, but it was too big, and there were too many people.

Of course, Dean was all alone right now. Which was just his luck. 

Dean wandered down an empty corridor. Paintings hung on the walls, and a few of the portraits called out to him, but it was just too weird to talk to  _art_ , so Dean sped forward, keeping his head down.  

He rounded a corner and nearly tripped over his robes when he halted suddenly. 

Against the banister of a staircase two older boys had cornered a younger one, who glared at them defiantly with big, blue eyes. 

“V’y fu’y ow ssop it!” the boy said, and the two bullies sniggered.

“What’s the matter, Castiel? Cat got your tongue?”

The boy, Castiel, snarled, but couldn’t appear to say anything more. Instead, he grunted angrily at them.

“What should we try next?” one of the older boys asked the other, and that’s when Dean knew he couldn’t just stand by and let them gang up on Castiel.

“Hey!” he called.  “Leave him alone!” 

The older boys spun to glare at him. They snickered. The one on the right, with blond hair, laughed. “Damn, Mikey, that First Year’s got balls! Should we show him–?”

But he said nothing more, because as soon as they turned their backs, Castiel had raised his wand and cast a non-verbal Stunning Spell. Mikey and the blond crumpled to the ground in a flash of blue light.

Dean’s mouth hung open. Maybe he hadn’t needed to help after all. Still, he cautiously approached Castiel, who appeared unable to return his tongue to normal. He eyed Dean and spoke, but his words were so garbled, Dean could only shake his head in confusion. 

Castiel gestured at Dean’s stack of books and mimed writing something down. Oh, right. Dean set the rest of his things on the floor as he scrambled for a blank page and a quill. He produced them both, and Castiel quickly snatched them from his hands. He scribbled something on the page, and then thrust it back at Dean.

 _Say Finite_ ( _FI-NEE-TAY) and point to me_ , the note read.

Dean hesitated. This Castiel sure trusted him without even knowing him. He inhaled a few deep breaths and then grabbed his wand from an inner pocket of his robes. 

Castiel demonstrated the wand movement, and Dean practiced a few times before casting the counter-spell. A red light burst from his wand, and Castiel visibly slumped in relief.

“Thank you,” he said.

“Um. You’re welcome, I guess.”

Castiel cocked his head. “So, you’re a First Year? I think I remember you from the feast. You got sorted into Hufflepuff, right?”

“Yeah,” Dean said. “Oh, I’m Dean, by the way.”

“Hello, Dean. I’m Castiel. But you can call me Cas.” They shook hands. “I’m a Second Year in Gryffindor.” He glanced back at the unmoving forms of his bullies. “Unlike my brothers, who are Sixth Years in Slytherin.”

Dean’s mouth gaped. “Those are your  _brothers_? But why would they be so mean?”

Castiel shrugged. “They’ve always been like that. And they think I’m dumb for being in Gryffindor even though I’m not the only one in the family  _not_ in Slytherin. Honestly, they make a bad name for Slytherins.”

“Oi, what’s going on down there?” came a voice. 

Dean stiffened when their Herbology professor, Professor Longbottom, descended the stairs, his eyes on Castiel’s brothers. 

Dean liked Professor Longbottom, and he’d heard whispers that the man was a war hero, but all he could think was that he was going to get in trouble and his dad would be angry.

“T-they were bullying him,” Dean stammered out as he pointed to Castiel.

Professor Longbottom reached the bottom of the steps and frowned. 

“Mr. Novak, is that true?”

Castiel nodded. “It’s true. They used Langlock on me, and Dean helped me with the counter-spell.”

“And yet your brothers appear Stunned?”

Castiel ducked his head. “I, uh, might’ve used a non-verbal Stunning Spell on them?”

Professor Longbottom’s eyebrows rose. “Non-verbal? That’s…very impressive.”

“I get lots of practice at home,” Castiel mumbled. 

Professor Longbottom blinked, and then sighed. “Alright. Move along then, you two. I’ll take care of your brothers.”

Dean let out a whoosh of air when he realized he wasn’t going to be punished. “Thank you, sir,” he stuttered. He grabbed his books and fled back the way he’d come. 

Footsteps bounded after him, and then Castiel appeared at his side.

“Where are you going now?”

“Um.” Dean’s face flamed. “I’m trying to get back to Hufflepuff, but I…”

“You’re lost?”

Dean nodded miserably.

Castiel pat him on the shoulder. “It’s okay. I’ve been here a whole year and I still get lost. I know this part of the castle, though. Oh! And I found this really cool room I can show you.”

“Yeah?” Dean said, perking up.

“Yeah, come on! It’s this way.”

And that is how a world that revolved around three, suddenly revolved around four, now including Dean’s very first friend.  

His very  _best_  friend.

And someday, something even more.

**Author's Note:**

> I just HAD to include Neville Longbottom in this. UGH I picture him really helping Dean come out of his shell and show him that he can be brave, too. THE FEELS.


End file.
